1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical device control apparatus and methods for making and using same.
More particularly, the present invention relates to an electrical device control apparatus including a multi-device switch, a user interface responsive to movement of a human or animal body part in at least two different directions, such as an x direction and a y direction, and software adapted to convert movements in the at least two directions into selection commands and/or switch commands sufficient to cause a desired selection and/or effect.
2. Description of the Related Art
The demand and requirement for electrical switches continues to accelerate. In fact, in residential and commercial environments, the number of electrical switches has grown as fast or faster than the number of new electrical devices introduced in the marketplace. As the number of electrical switches has increased, the need for sure, certain activation and deactivation of the switches has become ever more apparent.
For example in both residential, industrial and commercial environments, overhead lighting is typically controlled by a manual on-off switch on the wall. The switch is in the form of a mechanical lever that simply causes the circuit to open or close. Very little has changed over the years in this ubiquitous standard electrical switch.
Some minor variations, however, are found in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 2,421,881 to Heasty discloses the use of a rotatable disk with a number of recesses around its periphery. The disk is supported on a hub and two electric contact arms provide electric current through conductor rods in alternately spaced recesses. As the disk is rotated, electrical contact is made and then broken.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,863,010 to Riedl discloses a spring loaded push plate that is designed to activate all electrical contacts underneath the plate at once or to selectively engage electric contacts underneath the plate by rocking the plate in the direction of the desired electrical contact.
Additionally, it is known in the art to provide variable control over electrical devices, for example, again, lighting fixtures, by means of so-called dimmer switches. Functioning in a manner well-known in the art, the dimmer switch is activated by the well-known lever or, in some cases, by a knob that is simply twisted.
The longevity of the standard, mechanical, electrical wall light switch is testimony to its functional practicality. Nonetheless, as the demand for, and number of, electrical switches has multiplied with the multiplication of electrical devices found within residential and commercial environments, as indicated above, a need has arisen for an electrical switch with expanded capabilities. Thus, there is a need in the art for an electrical switch capable of manipulating multiple electrical devices without the requirement of mechanically opening and closing switches. Further, there is a need in the art for providing an electrical switch that is easily modified to accept operational control of additional electrical devices after installation of the switch. Still further, there is a need in the art for providing an electrical switch that is aesthetically and ergonomically pleasing.